Tag: faculty


New Foundry Dedicated

Collaborative Foundry and Workshop Facilities Will Be Dedicated at April 19 Ribbon Cutting From the April 2013 Desktop News | A workshop and foundry that will be shared by the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering will be dedicated April 19 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. New state-of-the-art facilities in the Bureau of Mines Arts and Engineering Complex on the UA campus provide an environment for creativity, productivity, and collaboration among faculty and students in both colleges. “The Bureau of […]

Read More from New Foundry Dedicated

Algae Research Receives NSF Funds

College Biologist Earns $2.7 Million in NSF Funding for Green Algae Research From the April 2013 Desktop News | Dr. Juan Lopez-Bautista, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, has built a career studying algae. He is now the principal investigator in a $2.76 million National Science Foundation research project designed to discover and describe various types of green algae. Lopez and his research team hope to develop a comprehensive understanding of these microscopic organisms, including how scientists believe they fit […]

Read More from Algae Research Receives NSF Funds

Can Information Beat Chronic Pain?

Psychologists Say Improving Health Literacy Can Help Patients Treat, Manage Pain From the April 2013 Desktop News | Chronic pain can be managed by developing alternative ways of thinking and perceiving it through cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). But in the health care system patients with a low literacy or educational level experience a disadvantage in learning and using these techniques. Dr. Beverly E. Thorn, chair of the Department of Psychology, will work to make this type of treatment more accessible as the leader […]

Read More from Can Information Beat Chronic Pain?

Clam Shells Tell Ancient Story

Geologist Researches Climate-Induced Downfall of Advanced Civilization From the April 2013 Desktop News | Analyses of clam shells used in ancient funeral ceremonies offer additional evidence as to how climate change may have contributed to the gradual collapse of an early South American civilization, according to Dr. Fred Andrus, an associate professor in the Department of Geological Sciences. His research, which was published online in the scientific journal Geology, indicates El Niño, a temporary, cyclical change in the Pacific Ocean’s circulation, and an […]

Read More from Clam Shells Tell Ancient Story

UA’s Othello Puts a Creative Twist on a Classic

  “I hate. I hate the Moor.” So spoke Iago during UA’s February 2013 production of Othello. From there, the show picked up speed, racing through each of Iago’s machinations to destroy the title character. “I wanted to transport the audience into the minds of Othello and Iago,” said director Seth Panitch, “so I turned to movement and music to assist us in that concept.” Panitch, who has been directing plays since 1996, included these modern twists on Shakespeare’s classic […]

Read More from UA’s Othello Puts a Creative Twist on a Classic

Violence Unchained

History professor’s new book tells true story of pre-Civil War violence Django Unchained’s recent Oscar success has again put a spotlight on the film’s controversial subject matter, which depicts slavery in the pre-Civil War South with a high level of graphic violence. History professor Dr. Joshua Rothman says that while the violence in the film was obviously designed to shock and entertain, it’s not an unfair depiction of the era. “The notion that a single person, white or black, could […]

Read More from Violence Unchained

Gupta Named University of Alabama Distinguished Research Professor

From the March 2013 Desktop News | A College professor who is internationally known for his expertise in investigating thin films and nanostructured materials for use in information technology and energy applications has been named a Distinguished University Research Professor by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. Dr. Arunava Gupta, a professor in the College’s Department of Chemistry, received the appointment at a recent meeting of the board. Gupta, who holds a joint appointment in the College of Engineering’s Department of Chemical […]

Read More from Gupta Named University of Alabama Distinguished Research Professor

Sellbom Receives Early-Career Award

Professor receives prestigious honor for his contributions to forensic psychology Psychopaths fascinate the American entertainment industry. Films like Silence of the Lambs, A Clockwork Orange, The Dark Knight, No Country for Old Men, and, of course, American Psycho allowed audiences to peer into the inner workings of the psychopathic mind (or at least Hollywood’s interpretation of said mind) from a safe distance. These striking portrayals of individuals able to commit violent crimes without the smallest semblance of remorse mesmerized audiences. […]

Read More from Sellbom Receives Early-Career Award

Scholar Trudier Harris Honors Family with Endowment

Dr. Trudier Harris is one of the foremost African American literary and cultural theorists of today, and before her current post as a professor in the College’s Department of English, she had a 30-year career with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her scholarly career has taken her all over the world, and she has been honored by numerous organizations for accomplishments. But her love of learning started on an 80-acre cotton farm in Greene County, AL. The […]

Read More from Scholar Trudier Harris Honors Family with Endowment

Lankford Publishes Widely-Praised Book on Suicide Terrorism, Weighs in on Recent Shootings

A recently published book on suicide terrorism by Dr. Adam Lankford, assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, has brought national attention to Lankford’s research in the area.   The Myth of Martyrdom: What Really Drives Suicide Bombers, Rampage Shooters, and Other Self-Destructive Killers, has been hailed a “book to watch for” by The New Yorker and praised by Nature, Scientific American Mind, Foreign Policy, and a number of individual experts in the field. According to Lankford, conventional wisdom suggests […]

Read More from Lankford Publishes Widely-Praised Book on Suicide Terrorism, Weighs in on Recent Shootings